WDAM Viewpoint- Animal cruelty bill

2011-02-11T23:27:20Z2011-02-11T23:27:39Z

February 11, 2011

Mississippi is one of only four states in the Union that does not have a felony animal cruelty law. It's time to get off that list. Two bills are now making their way to the Mississippi House to increase the penalty for torturing dogs and cats. While having no problem passing the State Senate…the chances of either of them passing the House are very slim based on past attempts.

For some reason there are those who have it in their minds that the "radicals" out there are trying to turn us all into vegetarians by making it against the law to kill livestock for food. That is both ignorant and paranoid…and it doesn't speak well for our state to have that sort of thing voiced on the Senate floor as it was this week.

Who thinks it is alright for people to be able to burn dogs and cats alive with gasoline for example…or torture animals in abhorrent ways? Those things happen in Mississippi. And the sick cowards that do it should be punished. Protecting innocent pets has nothing to do with the production of meat for food or leather for shoes and to let animal cruelty be tolerated on the grounds that it does shows a lack of enlightenment that is all to stereotypical of our state. It has nothing to do with legal sportsmanship and hunting either. We have laws that regulate and protect that.

We hope the House will finally have the good sense and compassion to make cruelty to animals a felony in this state. It's long overdue. That's today's Viewpoint. Let us know what's on your mind.